Holly Cole - Girl Talk

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:48
Size: 107,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:36)  1. My Foolish Heart
(4:33)  2. Girl Talk
(4:33)  3. Talk To Me Baby
(4:39)  4. Cruisin'
(4:44)  5. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
(4:19)  6. My Baby Just Cares For Me
(5:59)  7. How Long Has This Been Going On
(4:24)  8. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
(5:02)  9. Melancholy Baby
(3:54) 10. Downtown

Girl Talk was recorded live to two-track using a single microphone. The liner notes state that Holly Cole's intention in doing so was to preserve the "quintessence of her live performancs," and the result is dazzlingly successful. The air of intimacy between artist and listener is so great that, if anything, the feeling of being present in the moment is greater here than on the 1996 live album It Happened One Night. On an album recorded "live in concert," the ambient noises that occur when a large number of people are gathered in one place can seem discordant or inappropriate when you're listening to the CD in your car or your living room; the atmosphere can exclude rather than include you. Put on this disc, however, and you can imagine that Holly Cole is singing for you alone. It's easy to focus on Cole's emotionally compelling delivery, and at first you can be so mesmerized that you forget that the vocalist is one part of a trio. 

Listen more carefully, and it becomes apparent that the piano and bass accompaniments are deceptively simple that they are, in fact, providing a counterpoint to the sung lyrics that is almost conversational. Suddenly, these simple arrangements feel quite complex. The most entertaining song on the album may well be Cole's interpretation of the traditionally sunny and euphoric "Downtown." In her expert hands it moves from near cynicism to a guarded openness that makes this standard seem to have a range of meaning you may never have considered. ~ Maya Geryk  http://www.allmusic.com/album/girl-talk-mw0000207577

Personnel: Holly Cole (vocals); John Johnson (saxophone); John MacLeod (trumpet); Aaron Davis (piano)

Girl Talk

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Peter Bernstein & Guido Di Leone Quartet - Tribute to Jim Hall

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:46
Size: 144,0 MB
Art: Front

(11:52) 1. I'm Getting Sentimental over You
( 6:21) 2. Bon ami
( 6:25) 3. Two's Blues
( 6:22) 4. All Across the City
( 8:14) 5. I Hear a Rhapsody
( 6:01) 6. Waltz New
( 9:19) 7. How Deep Is the Ocean
( 8:10) 8. St Thomas

Jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein was born September 3, 1967, in New York City. He got his first break while attending the New School when he met Jim Hall, who recruited him for a concert of guitarists as part of the 1990 JVC Jazz Festival in New York. The show was recorded by MusicMasters and issued as Live at Town Hall, Vol. 2. Bernstein quickly began playing with other jazz musicians, notably appearing on albums by Lou Donaldson, Michael Hashim, Larry Goldings, Mel Rhyne, Jesse Davis, and Geoff Keezer. He recorded his first album as a leader, Somethin's Burnin', for Criss Cross in December, 1992, as part of quartet with pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist John Webber, and drummer Jimmy Cobb. After working with such artists as Patti Page, Walt Weiskopf, Brian Lynch, Laverne Butler, Eric Alexander, and Hendrik Meurkens in 1993-1994, Bernstein returned to his solo work with Signs of Life. Issued in May of 1995, the album once again found the guitarist backed by pianist Mehldau, along with bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. Further work as a sideman with Ghetto Philharmonic, Trudy Desmond, Teodross Avery, Joshua Redman, Kevin Mahogany, Grant Stewart, and Mike LeDonne preceded the release of his third album, Brain Dance, in June 1997. This time, he led a quintet also containing organist Goldings, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, trombonist Steve Davis, and drummer Billy Drummond. Prior to his fourth album, Earth Tones, Bernstein recorded with Ralph Lalama and Eric Comstock, among others. Earth Tones, issued in August, 1998, found him fronting a trio with Goldings and drummer Bill Stewart.

Five years elapsed before the release of Heart's Content, Bernstein's fifth album as a leader, and he occupied the time working with a wide variety of musicians including Tom Aalfs, Group 15, Jimmy Cobb's Mob, David Bubba Brooks, Doug Lawrence, Sam Yahel, David Morgan, Jon Gordon, Michael Karn, Spike Wilner, Anna Lauvergnac, Harry Allen, Paula West, Nicholas Payton, Etta Jones, Béla Szakcsi Lakatos, Lee Konitz, Klaus Doldinger, and Ralph Bowen. Heart's Content, which was released in May 2003, was credited to "Peter Bernstein + 3," and the three were Mehldau, Bill Stewart, and bassist Larry Grenadier. The same year the album appeared, Bernstein could be heard on albums by Ryan Kisor, Wycliffe Gordon, Janis Siegel, and Martin Sasse, among others. Stranger in Paradise, Bernstein's sixth album, was released in June 2004 by the Japanese Tokuma label, and employed the same lineup as that on Heart's Content. In addition to musicians with whom he had recorded before, Bernstein appeared on albums by Jim Rotondi and Dr. Lonnie Smith in 2004 and Kathy Kosins in 2005. On August 23, 2005, Mel Bay released the DVD Peter Bernstein Trio Live at Smoke, taped at a jazz club on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Among his many sideman sessions in the mid-2000s, Bernstein added dates with Joe Magnarelli, Alvin Queen, Planet Jazz, Anton Schwartz, John Pisano, David "Fathead" Newman, Don Friedman, Cory Weeds, and Andrew Suvalsky to the list of his credits, along with repeat appearances with others. In January 2009, the newly reactivated Xanadu label released Bernstein's seventh album, Monk, a tribute to Thelonious Monk featuring bassist Doug Weiss and drummer Bill Stewart. In 2013, he paired with guitarist Joachim Schoenecker for the duo album Dialogues. A year later, he joined longtime associates Larry Goldings and Bill Stewart on Ramshackle Serenade. He then made his Smoke Sessions debut with 2016's Let Loose, a lively quartet date featuring pianist Gerald Clayton. Also that year, he collaborated with fellow guitarists Rale Micic, John Abercrombie, and Lage Lund on Inspired. For the guitarist's second Smoke Sessions date, Signs Live!, he reunited the band that had recorded his 1995 album Signs of Life, including pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. Released in 2017, Signs Live! was the first time Bernstein and the members of the quartet had all played together in over 20 years.~ William Ruhlmann https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peter-bernstein-mn0000317924/biography

Personnel: Peter Bernstein (guitar); Guido Di Leone (guitar); Dario Deidda (bass); Andy Watson (drums)

Tribute to Jim Hall

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Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy In Greece

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:54
Size: 97,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:40) 1. Hey Pete
(3:47) 2. Yesterdays
(4:18) 3. Tin Tin Deo
(3:22) 4. Groovin' for Nat
(4:06) 5. Annie's Dance
(4:56) 6. Cool Breeze
(4:22) 7. School Days
(3:14) 8. That's All
(4:14) 9. Stable Mates
(3:52) 10. Groovin' High

Dizzy's in Greece, looking very cool in a fez on the cover and really wailing hard with a larger group that includes Billy Mitchell, Charlie Persip, Lee Morgan, Wynton Kelly, and Phil Woods! The mode here is still quite boppish, despite the larger size of the ensemble but Dizzy also manages to bring in some of those wonderfully rich colors that were coming into his later work a tonal depth that's completely amazing, and which pushed Gillespie way past his simple roots of the 40s, into a space that made him one of the most expressive jazz leaders of the 50s. The horn charts alone are totally great and Dizzy's got a wonderful talent for letting the key soloists step out with a really strong voice in the set and although short, the tunes have an incredible reach overall. Titles include "Tin Tin Deo", "Yesterdays", "Groovin' High", "Hey Pete", "Arnnie's Dance", and "Groovin' for Nat". © 1996-2021, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/1776/Dizzy-Gillespie:Dizzy-In-Greece

Personnel: Dizzy Gillespie, trumpet and leader; Joe Gordon, trumpet; Quincy Jones, trumpet; E.V. Perry, trumpet; Carl Warwick, trumpet; Melba Liston, trombone; Frank Rehak, trombone; Rod Levitt, bass trombone; Jimmy Powell, alto saxophone; Phil Woods, alto saxophone; Billy Mitchell, tenor saxophone; Ernie Wilkins, tenor saxophone; Marty Flax, baritone saxophone; Walter Davis, Jr., piano; Nelson Boyd, bass; Charli Persip, drums

Dizzy In Greece

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Ingrid Jensen - Now As Then

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream, Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:50
Size: 153,3 MB
Art: Front

(10:59)  1. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
( 8:29)  2. R Hour
( 6:39)  3. Now As Then
( 7:30)  4. Periwinkle
( 8:42)  5. Gloria
( 6:47)  6. Silver Twiligh
( 8:50)  7. Tony's Town
( 8:51)  8. Dilemma

The familiar groove of the organ trio returns with Ingrid Jensen's newest release. Her resounding trumpet and mellow flugelhorn carry a message that jazz will grow from its tradition of syncopated swing and creative improvisation toward a fresh formula that keeps the best elements on board, while adding virtuosic individual displays and a cohesive ensemble interplay. Trumpet and saxophone give Project O a classic front line flavor that has been espoused by many memorable straight-ahead quintets throughout jazz's history. Gary Versace's Hammond B-3 organ, on the other hand, lends a different mainstream timbre that points in several different directions. It's a great combination. Seamus Blake puts in a solid performance on his guest appearances and complements Jensen's trumpet quite well. Steve Wilson and Christine Jensen, who both add lively alto and soprano saxophone voices to the program, bring out a lighter side of the music. (Christine is Ingrid's sister.) The session includes both serious drama and laid-back swing.

While it's not clear on every track whether we're listening to Christine or Steve, each has sufficient leading roles to verify their individual spirits. Leader Ingrid Jensen is at ease with both. On Christine's "Dilemma," Wilson trades fours with the composer. Both have chosen the alto for this one; Wilson is on the left audio channel and Jensen is on the right. Their natural conversation leads to an open trumpet soliloquy and an eventual coming together of the band's distinctive voices. As with most of the album, an emphasis on rich harmony drives the piece forward with multi-hued layers. Now As Then draws together trumpeter Ingrid Jensen's original thoughts on the creative path that modern jazz needs to follow if it is to achieve continued growth. ~ Jim Santella  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/now-as-then-ingrid-jensen-review-by-jim-santella.php

Personnel: Ingrid Jensen- trumpet, flugelhorn; Gary Versace- B-3 organ; Jon Wikan- drums; Steve Wilson- alto saxophone, alto flute; Christine Jensen- alto saxophone, soprano saxophone; Seamus Blake- tenor saxophone

Now As Then

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